Frederick Half Marathon 2013

This morning I woke at 4 for what has become an annual tradition - a pre-dawn drive to Frederick, watching the sun rise at the fairgrounds, and running the Frederick Half Marathon.

I try to learn from my mistakes, so unlike last year I put plenty of bottles of Gatorade and water in my car last night.  I arrived at the Frederick Fairgrounds at 5:30am, quickly parked, and breezed through picking up my bib.  This year the first 200 runners to pre-register were given the option to pick up their bibs on-site on race day. Given my crazy hours at work this week, I was super-thankful for that option. I caught the end of the pre-race law enforcement orientation meeting while putting on my bib and was blown away by how many officers were working the race.  They, along with volunteers, are who make races like this possible and I am extremely grateful for their hard work and enthusiasm.

I had plenty of time to kill and it was chilly out, so I retreated to my car and played with my phone until it was time to go.  I got to the start line just in time for the national anthem and "Sweet Caroline" (their tribute to Boston) before we took off.  One thing I love about Frederick is how small the field is - the entire staging area was less than a block long!  The photo below was taken standing around people planning on finishing in 2:15 - I've yet to run another race where this pace group is so close to the start line.

At 7am sharp we were off.  Within a mile and a half the road opened up and I had plenty of space to run in.

It stayed like that the rest of the race.  Unfortunately, I don't have any more photos.

I decided to run this race listening to my legs and they were speaking pretty quickly.  At multiple points in the race my brain tried to take over, telling my legs to slow down, but they never listened for long.  As I blew by mile markers (all of which had clocks - a huge plus), I had to double-check the times on my Garmin.  My split at mile 8 was 1:12:37 - 9:05 minute miles.  I had my doubts about whether or not I could maintain that pace for the entire race, but I was feeling great and figured I'd try my best.

I forgot how hilly the last 5 miles of this course are, but tried to push through without slowing down too much.  I started getting tired around mile 11 and talked myself in to running one more mile before re-evaluating my strategy.  With 12 miles down I realized that, if I kept running, a PR was almost definite and a sub-2:00:00 race (a long-term goal of mine) was a very strong possibility.  With that knowledge I pushed my tired legs up the last hill and around the race track.  I usually sprint the final stretch of every race, but I just didn't have it in me this morning.  I finished in 2:00:26 - tauntingly close to my 2:00:00 goal.

Running Frederick means a very early wake-up call; I wouldn't get up this early for just any race.  The Frederick Half walks the thin line between being run like large race, but having a smaller, manageable field.  Per the official results, there were shy of 3,600 finishers - thousands less than the other 10+ mile races I've completed.  It really is the best of both worlds - I had as much (or more) space as I would running a local 5k, but the amenities and spectators of a race 3x this size.  Despite this course being hilly, it's fast, and the Frederick Fairgrounds are a great place to start and finish a race.  If anyone is debating this race next year, I highly recommend it.  I'll definitely be there.

Counting the Blooms: Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Miler Recap

I woke up early Sunday morning ready to run.  The sun was out, the temperature was in the low 40s, and there was a healthy breeze.  In short, it was perfect running weather.  I met Emily on the metro and we headed down to the mall.

We got to the start area of the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler, next to the Washington Monument, 20 minutes before the start.  Since neither of us were checking bags it was perfect timing.  We milled about, said hi to people we knew, and lined up in our start corral... or so we thought.  As it turns out, we (along with many other runners) were outside the fence from the start corrals, so we ended up starting with a bunch of runners pacing about a minute per mile slower than we intended to run.  Oops.  At least we had a chance to take a pre-race photo while we waited to get inside the fence.

There are some races you run for time.  The Cherry Blossom Ten Miler is not and never will be one of those races.  It's a crowded race along a course that narrows at points, making it a nightmare for people who a) want to PR, b) don't like crowds and c) start in the wrong corral.  Emily and I decided before the race to take it easy and enjoy ourselves - if some space opened up later in the race we would take advantage of it and pick up the pace.  For the first six miles or so, the course was this crowded:

Somewhere around mile 3, we started counting cherry blossom trees in bloom.  There weren't very many.  Emily started counting in the Count von Count voice, laugh and all, which really amused me but probably annoyed other runners around us.  The stretch on Hains Point is pretty but boring, so this provided us with some entertainment.

When Emily and I split up around mile 8.5 I picked up the pace and headed to the finish. The course had opened up and I was able to weave in and out of other runners pretty easily. I was prepared for the hill at mile 9.5 and kicked it in to high gear.  I crossed the finish line sprinting, feeling great, and completely unaware of my time.

After the race, Emily and I met up with some friends at Brunchnic.  Brunchnic is one of the best ideas I cannot even remotely claim credit for - everyone brought a dish and we had a brunch picnic on the grounds of the Washington Memorial.  Some non-runners staked out a spot and got the party going while the rest of us were racing.  It was a short walk from the finish line and a wonderful way to unwind and relax after the run.

Apparently a Sesame Street reference, a long run, brunch, and being outdoors on a beautiful early spring morning are all I need for a perfect Sunday.

Rock 'n Rolling With the Punches

I wasn't sure I wanted to write this post because my race experience at the Rock 'n Roll USA Half Marathon was so bittersweet.  What I've decided to do is address the shortcomings of the race first, then follow up with my run, so that I hopefully end on a positive note.

I'm also sorry there are no photos - blogger won't recognize the photos I took, so I'm unable to upload them.  Is anyone else having a similar issue?

I hate to complain about things.  It's one thing to complain to someone who can fix an issue and quite another to constantly moan about things on the internet.  For that reason, I try to overlook the negative aspects of races in my recap posts and tend to write about only products I view positively.  The thing is, I can't overlook the negative aspects of the RnR USA half.  They were pervasive throughout the race and all aspects of my experience and, having run other races put on by the Competitor Group, I know they have the experience and resources to plan better and prevent things like this from happening.

There were 3 places things went wrong:

Gear check:

Emily and I rendezvoused on the Metro and made our way over the the start area around 6:45 on race day.  The forecast called for a chilly, rainy morning and we prepared accordingly.  I wore a jacket and hat and put all essential items I'd have on me in ziplock bags.  I also lined the bag I was going to check with a trash bag, just in case.  The gear check area was chaos - all of the lines were intermingled and many people ended up standing in the wrong lines.  I found the appropriate line and was stunned by how long it was.  I walked past over 200 people to get to the end and waited 45 minutes to check my gear.  By the time we got to the start area, the official race clock had been running for 15 minutes.  While this wasn't a big deal - it took about an hour to get all participants across the start - it wasn't a great way to start the day.

The race:

When we made our way to the first water station and discovered it was out of cups, we knew we were in for a rough ride.  The cup issue (and general lack of volunteers on the course) persisted for the first 8 or so miles.  I'd debated bringing a water belt to the race, ultimately deciding that RnR races are usually well-organized and I wouldn't need it.  I was kicking myself, hard, for that decision.  Things got better during the last 5 miles of the race and continued to improve... until I went to pick up my gear post-race.

Gear pick up:

The lines were, once again, chaotic and unnecessarily long.  As I neared the front of my gear check line (after 30 minutes of standing around in wet, stinky clothes) I saw a lot of bags on the ground between my truck and another truck.  I asked around as to which truck these bags came off of - no one knew.  This was extremely concerning as it's really easy to lose things when you move them around and the ground was damp - some runners looking forward to changing in to dry clothes were going to be pretty disappointed.  I mentally high-fived myself for the foresight to use a trash bag and began digging in to the pile.  I managed to find my bag with the help of some other runners (there were no volunteers helping with this pile, which begs the question of who moved all of these bags to begin with), and went on my way.

Phew.  Now that I've gotten that out of the way....

RnR USA was the first half marathon for my friends Emily and Caroline and I was lucky enough to be able to spend time with both of them.  After checking our gear, Emily and I circled up with Caroline in the start area and we all ran the first couple of miles together.  Caroline stopped to tie her shoe and urged Emily and I to continue on without her.  Emily claimed she wouldn't be able to run faster than an 11:00/mile pace, but was constantly running around 10:00/miles, a comfortable pace for me after taking so much time off.  We ran together for the first 11 miles, gossiping, commenting on other people's outfits, and running into people Emily knows (a special talent of hers).  Since I usually race solo it was a real treat to have company on the course and made the miles seem much shorter than they actually were.  We trucked along at a pretty consistent pace, adjusting only for hills and water stops.  We did stop at one point early on during the race to rock out with a band and get our photo taken by a RnR photographer who couldn't seem to take enough.  I now live in fear that those photos will end up plastered on the website or promotional materials for the race.

The course was different from last year - no doubt in response to Washingtonians' complaints about street closures - and I think the change was for the better.  While it added a steep hill at Calvert street, it eliminated a very long hill on 18th street.  I'll take a short and steep climb over a long, moderately pitched one any day.  The new start line allowed us to run past the White House and various monuments within the first few miles of the race and made it accessible from every metro line.  If RnR can address the gear check snafus they encountered this year I think this start line will be an improved experience over the old one at the DC Armory.

There were a lot less volunteers and spectators on the course this year.  I can't help but to attribute this to the dismal weather forecast.  It was their loss as the morning turned out to be mild and somewhat sunny.  It was perfect running weather and a real treat for everyone.

Right before Emily and I split ways, we ran in to some folks from run club.  One lady, Michelle, ran the race 8 months pregnant.  Don't act like you're not impressed.

I kicked things in to gear for the last couple of miles.  After taking a few months off, running 9:00-ish miles was a LOT harder than I thought it would be.  I managed to finish strong, smile for the cameras, and feel good.  While I was nowhere near a PR (in fact, it was my 2nd slowest race time ever), I feel good about finishing the race and am thankful for the experience I had.  I was lucky enough to participate in two of my friends' first half-marathons, which made for a memorable and special morning.

I found Emily in the finish area, and discovered she met her goal of finishing the race in under an 11:00/mile pace.  Congrats, lady!!  I met up with Caroline at gear check and found out she'd met her goal of running the entire race (no walk breaks) and felt great.  We stuck around to see Cowboy Mouth perform, then grabbed brunch before parting ways to go home and nap.  Is there anything better than a post-race beer and brunch?  If so, I have yet to discover it...

Jingling All the Way

This morning I ran the Jingle All the Way 8K, but I almost didn't make it to the start.

Last night I set out all of my race gear, packed my bag to check, and set my alarm.  Or so I thought.  8 hours later, a phone call from Emily woke me up.  She was wondering where I was because we'd agreed to meet 40 minutes before the start and I was nowhere to be found.  As it turns out, my alarm was set for the wrong day.  I leapt out of bed, threw on my gear, and ran out the door.  I made it to gear check with 15 minutes to spare.

The forecast called for a cool, rainy morning, but it was overcast and in the mid-50s before the race.  The race started 10 minutes late, but no one seemed to mind.  We were too busy checking out everyone's holiday-themed outfits.

Lots of santa hats and antlers at the start

I have to give the other runners a lot of credit because most people started in the appropriate area for their pace.  We didn't have many slower runners blocking our way and also didn't have many faster runners blowing by us.  Emily and I kept a slow, steady pace, somewhere in the neighborhood of 9:55, through the first 4 miles.  The race had a bunch of double-backs, which I usually despise, but they gave us an opportunity to spot our friends and people-watch.  Some highlights were a menorah hat, juggling santa, and group of runners in bunny-print onesies.

I decided to push things harder the last mile and was able to drop about 20 seconds off of my overall pace per mile.  I attribute a lot of that to the all-out sprint I started as I heard the Cupid Shuffle approaching the finish line.  Unfortunately, no one was dancing.

Sweaty reindeer at the finish

I found Emily and we headed off to meet some friends and American Odyssey/Ragnar teammates at brunch.  When we got there I noticed two of our AOR teammates were also wearing their race shirts and had to snap a photo.

This race was a fun way to close out the fall racing season and catch up with friends.  I highly recommend it to anyone thinking about it next year!

For those of you counting:
MYB Challenge workout 7 of 22 completed.

MCM: Rock Me Like a Hurricane

Not only do I think the title's clever, but that song was stuck in my head from mile 17 - 20.  You wouldn't believe the amount of "run like a hurricane is chasing you" or "run, Sandy's right behind you" signs I saw.  Yet no one made a sign related to this song... 

Sunday I woke in what I knew to be the calm before the storm.  It was warmer than it ought to be, the air was still and the city was silent.  I quickly got ready and stole out in to the dark morning.  The weather was holding and I kept my fingers crossed that the rain would hold off until the afternoon.  Last year's pre-race temperatures were in the mid-20s.  This year they were in the low 50s.  It was perfect weather for a race as long as we didn't get caught in a downpour.

I got to the Pentagon about 30 minutes before the start. I made my way over to the Runner's Village, quickly checked my bag, and got in line to, ahem, take care of business.  Unsurprisingly, I was still in that line when I heard the cannons fire, indicating the start of the race.  As I'm no speed demon, I was able to make it to the start line with most folks running my at pace.

I'd decided to stick with a 10:00/mile pace for the race.  It's substantially slower than my half-marathon pace and, as long as my IT band and knee didn't act up, I could sustain it over 26.2 miles.  Slow and steady, I climbed the hills in to Arlington, reminding myself that after mile 7 I'd have a 13 mile break from uphill climbs.  I hit the Key Bridge feeling awesome, grabbed some water, and got ready for the first quiet stretch of the race.  Or so I thought.  A guy a few feet behind me decided to sign Ke$ha at the top of his lungs from mile 5 to mile 7.  He was horribly off-key, but it was entertaining.  Even more entertaining were his friends, half of them begging him to shut up, the other half joining in.  Other than that, miles 1-7 were relatively uneventful.  I high-fived a lot of  Marines and saw Santa.  Santa is a bit of an MCM race legend.  He's a dead ringer for the Santa Claus from everyone's childhood stories and always stops on the course to ask children what they want for Christmas.  He's easy to spot in his Santa hat, North Pole Marathon Team tank, and red or green shorts.  I'd wanted to see him ever since my first MCM - I guess the third time's a charm!

Miles 8-10 are some of my favorites because you get to run through the Palisades, where people in the neighborhood bring their kids to watch and are incredibly supportive, and straight down M street in Georgetown.  I know MCM likes to tout the cheering section in Crystal City as one of the best places to watch the race, but Georgetown is leagues ahead.  In Georgetown the sidewalks are packed, the music is blaring, and everyone is excited.  This year Georgetown had, hands-down, the most enthusiastic set of spectators I have ever seen in a race in DC.

I saw my dad during mile 10.  I wish I'd taken a photo, as he was hanging out near the band and having a great time (he said they were really good).  At this point I was beginning to feel the effects of the almost-empty cups of Gatorade at water stations (my only gripe about this race this year - it didn't happen in prior years), so I asked him to have a bottle of Gatorade ready to hand off to me the next time he saw me.  As I continued on, I had to take two cups of Gatorade at a couple of water stops in order to stay hydrated.

Miles 12-15 were on Hains Point.  In past years this was one of the most psychologically grueling parts of the race as there were no spectators.  This year, it was tough for other reasons.  Wear Blue: Run to Remember had set up signs beginning around the mile 12 marker.  Each sign had a photo of and information about a fallen Marine.  These served as a poignant reminder that we run this race not just for ourselves, but to honor those who serve and have served our country, protecting our individual freedom and our rights to make choices like whether to run a marathon.  I got choked up and nearly had an asthma attack trying not to cry.  After the signs, they had volunteers holding American flags.

The other side of Hains Point was a bit tricky.  As you can somewhat tell in the photo above, the wind had picked up.  There were steady winds of around 20-25 miles per hour, which aren't unmanageable by any means, but when you are running on a peninsula and the wind is coming right off of the water it tends to feel stronger.  I ended up walking mile 15 as my left IT band was starting to act up.

Miles 16-20 were on the Mall and I enjoyed all of the spectators who had come out to support us.  I saw what was, by far, my favorite sign at mile 16.  A man who was at least in his late 50s was holding a sign that said "No more Saturday runs means Friday night sex, baby, OORAH!"  I couldn't help but laugh.  I saw my dad again at the mile 16 marker and got the bottle of Gatorade I was so desperately in need of.  I downed it in less than a mile.  Oops.  Around the time my IT band started acting up again and my right knee started to bother me I saw someone holding a sign saying "Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional."  It was a great message and it gave me the strength to push past the pain for another mile and a half.  At 18.5 miles I knew I needed to start walking again.

I felt bad walking past the spectators lining the mall and in front of the capital, but I knew it was the right thing to do.  I still had quite a while to go and I didn't want to injure myself to the point where I couldn't finish.  So I read signs a little more closely, took a photo of the Capitol as I approached it, and kept moving forward.

Getting to the 14th Street Bridge was a huge relief.  I'd "beat the bridge" and knew I could finish the race.  I was only a few minutes over where I needed to be to finish the race in 4:30:00.  If I ran the rest of the way, I could still hit my goal.

But I was in huge amounts of pain.  I needed to walk more.  I saw my dad around mile 21 and stopped to remove a rock in my shoe that had been tormenting me for the past 2 miles.  He and I talked and decided it would be best for me to walk the bridge and take things from there.  So I walked a little, stretched a little, walked some more, stretched some more, took some Advil, downed another bottle of Gatorade, and started feeling a lot better.  By the time I reached the mile 22 marker I was ready to run again.

A funny thing happened in Crystal City: I found my second wind.  The Advil had kicked in, my legs were feeling better, and I had a flat, spectator-filled stretch ahead of me.  The lululemon cheer station gave me the energy boost I needed to adjust my attitude, put on a smile, and enjoy "Crystal Run."

I cruised through the next mile and a half, until I discovered a (literal) bump in the road.  In changing the Crystal City portion of the route in 2012, the race organizers forced us on an overpass around mile 24.  No one was happy to see the unexpected hill, but I charged up it, reminding myself that there were less than three miles left.  I coasted down the other side of the overpass, blew by the donut holes (as if I could keep those down) and found myself by the Pentagon, high-fiving more Marines.  My IT band and knee started acting up again, but there were only two more miles to go.  If I pushed through the pain I could still finish in under 5 hours, meeting my secondary goal.

I started seeing more and more spectators as I ran through where the start corrals had been.  There's something nice about passing where you started to get to the finish.  At mile 25.2 the pain was getting to be too much.  I knew I wanted to finish strong, so I allowed myself .5 miles to walk.  When I hit mile 25.7 I told myself that, ready or not, I was running.  There were less than 5 minutes left and I was going to give them my all.  I saw my dad again right before the sidelines got packed thick with spectators.  It gave me the mental boost I needed to push past whatever pace I'd decided on and run as fast as I could.  As I rounded the corner and started up the hill at Iwo Jima I saw a lot of people stopping to walk.  I refused to let that hill get the best of me and let myself go.  My legs were tired and I was starting to run out of breath, but I wasn't stopping until I crossed the finish line.

And I did.  At 4:59:02.

I'd beaten the bridge, kept myself in one piece, and finished in a respectable time.  Best of all, it still wasn't raining.  I got my medal, shuffled through the line to get a thermal blanket, snapped a photo of Iwo Jima, and prepared myself for the madness surrounding the food lines.

The exit was crazier than in past years and as I approached I saw why - jackets!  The MCM jacket isn't something I would wear around town (it's far too big and it's not made of a sturdy fabric), but it was a nice, unexpected touch which was perfect for wearing around Rosslyn as I got my checked gear and found my family.

Post-MCM with my family

The thing that sets MCM apart from most marathons is the overwhelming military presence on race day.  The pre-race flyover, wounded warriors competing, and Marines lining the course cheering you on prepare you for the signature moment at the finish line - having an active duty Marine place your medal around your neck.  I always look forward to receiving my medal, shaking their hand, and saying "thank you" - not just for the medal or for being there on race day, but for everything they do for our country.

As my finisher's jacket says: mission accomplished.

MCM Expo: The Fun Before the Storm

I don't usually write about race expos because nothing noteworthy happens.  I went to the MCM expo on my lunch hour Friday hoping for a quick in-and-out experience, but ended up staying quite a while.  The expo was at the DC Armory, which is always an interesting experience.  It's a military building, so everyone who enters is required to go through security.  My parking and security experiences weren't the world's best at the Army Ten Miler packet pick up at the same location last week, so I didn't have high expectations for the MCM expo.  Of course I was wrong to underestimate any event run by Marines.  Parking was easy, the security lines went quickly, and I was able to pick up my bib, packet, and tshirt in a matter of minutes.  Upon exiting the packet pick-up area I was treated to a performance by the US Marine Corps Brass Band.

I love a good brass band.

Being in high spirits (and having a bit of extra time), I decided to peruse the expo and see what I could find.  I'd tweeted back-and-forth with one of my favorite race directors (Bob from American Odyssey Relay) and been told to come by his booth because he'd have a treat for all runners already registered for the 2013 race.  I expected candy.  What I got was a new pair of UA Cold Gear running gloves.  Which I desperately needed.  Thanks, Bob!

I puttered around, looking at all the free gear and sale items, willing myself not to buy anything I didn't need.  Then I saw the Balega display.  I probably don't need any more running socks at this point, but I love these socks and they had fun colors like neon pink and yellow and were running a "buy three pairs, get one free" deal.  So guess who has 4 new pairs of running socks...

In for a penny, in for a pound, I saw a Mizuno display and decided to take a look.  They were offering 20% off all shoes, so I bit the bullet and finally bought the Wave Elixir 7s I tried a run club a few months ago.

After that, I cut myself off.  I was running out of time and hadn't exactly budgeted for a pair of new shoes.  I grabbed a few free bags of sport beans and headed out.  Only a day and a half stood between me and the MCM start line.  It was time to start preparing for the race.

What's a Little Rain?

Tomorrow morning I will run the 37th Marine Corps Marathon.

Tomorrow morning Hurricane Sandy will begin battering the East Coast with heavy rains.

I could complain, but instead I look forward to the challenge. How many other runners can rightfully claim to have finished a marathon in a hurricane?

See y'all on the other side of 26.2!

Army Ten Miler Race Recap

Sunday morning I left home before the sun came up and headed out in to the cool fall morning toward the start line.  After experiencing knee and IT band pain all week and a killer workout on Thursday I didn't have high expectations for my performance.

What I forgot was that the day's race wasn't about me.  The Army Ten Miler never is.

Sunday was my 6th Army Ten Miler; each year I am both impressed by the turnout and humbled as I am reminded by the sacrifice that our active duty soldiers and military families make every day to protect our freedom.  It's amazing to run the ATM alongside active duty soldiers, wounded warriors, military spouses, and family members of those who have fallen.

I got to the Pentagon right as the paratroopers were jumping.  You can always tell when they jump because one by one all of the runners and spectators milling around the Pentagon stop in their tracks and look up to the sky.

This year the wave start was pretty well organized.  I found my corral easily and before long it was time to line up at the start line.

As I started the sun was out, the temperature was in the low 50s, and there was a cool breeze blowing.  I couldn't have asked for better weather.  The first couple of miles were crowded, but that gave me time to take photos as we crossed the Memorial Bridge, approached the Lincoln Memorial, and passed the Washington Monument.

Around mile 5 the crowd started to thin out and I was able to cruise at my own pace.  As I approached the section of the course that doubled-back I looked for my friends that were also running the race.  I was hoping to spot someone and cheer them on; unfortunately, I didn't see anyone I knew.

Before I knew it I was approaching the 14th street bridge, which my friends and I refer to as "the bridge of death," because it's long, hilly, and completely devoid of spectators.

I'm not looking forward to encountering it again at mile 20 of Marine Corps Marathon next weekend.

After the bridge I was in the home stretch... or so I thought.  Over the past three years the ATM has moved the finish line further and further in to the Pentagon parking lot.  What used to signal the home stretch of the race is now the 9 mile marker.  At that point (this year) I had one more hill and a long, flat stretch to the finish.

The finish line was well-organized and it was easy to get food and water afterward.  What wasn't great was the walk to the metro from the finish line.  We had to hop over two sets of jersey barriers (the concrete barriers you often see on highways) to get between the finish area and the Pentagon.  I didn't see any way around them and it made me wonder how runners on extremely tired legs and participants using hand-crank wheelchairs were able to get out of the finish area.  I hope the race organizers will work on this for next year.

All in all I had a great race.  I didn't PR, but I hadn't been planning on it.  I didn't see my friends during the race, but I was able to meet up with them after.  I didn't go in with high expectations, but I finished in high spirits.  I'll definitely be back next year.

Getting My Stride Back: Baltimore Running Festival Recap

Saturday I woke up in Charm City.  The sun was shining and the air was crisp.  It was perfect running weather.

After months of illness and injuries, it was time for one of my favorite races.  After months of forcing myself to rest, run, and cross-train despite how I was feeling, it was time to get my stride back.

I had only one goal for the Baltimore Half Marathon: to finish uninjured.  With two races coming up in the next two weeks, I had no choice.  There would be no shame in taking it slow and walking if I needed to.  I left my Garmin at home and decided to pace myself based on how my legs felt.

One thing I love (and there are many) about the Baltimore Half is that it starts at 9:45AM.  I usually stay in Baltimore, so I'm able to sleep in and walk to the start line.  Last night I stayed in Fells Point, so I had a decent walk along the harbor to the start line.

I missed the start of the race because I was in the bathroom line.  Typical.  I got through the line and bounded out to the start in time to join the second wave and get going.

I spent the first 7 miles high-fiving spectators and reminding myself to slow down so I wouldn't burn out too quickly.  The course is extremely hilly with a large net uphill for the first 9.5 miles.  I knew if I could make it to and around Lake Montebello (mile 8) still feeling good I would be able to handle the next 1.5 miles uphill and finish strong.  It was a huge relief to reach Lake Montebello without any IT band or shin pain.  I was rewarded with this view for my efforts:

The mile around Lake Montebello was perfect - the sun was shining and there was a cool breeze coming off of the water - but it was soon time to move on.  I knocked out the remaining net uphill and prepared to cruise downhill for the next few miles to finish strong.

Things started getting a little weird around mile 11.  Between the spectators playing "Eye of the Tiger" on a loop while dancing on their car in tiger suits (which they've done all 4 years I've run this race) and the runner who stripped down to his Maryland-flag-printed spandex, I was entertained.  I checked the time at mile 12 and realized that, even though I was slowing myself down and trying to take it easy, I was still making decent time.  When I hit the Hippodrome, I decided to step things up a bit.

I cruised through the last downhill and slowed down to take a few photos as I approached and ran through Camden Yards.

Once I cleared the ball park, it was time to sprint.  I flew across the finish line with a gun time around 2:10:00.  Because I started late, I had no clue what my chip time was.  When I checked in with the results table, I was in for a shock.  I PRed.  Without intending to, I had shaved almost 4 minutes off of my Frederick Half time.

My friend Steph, who had a similar approach to the race, also PRed.  We agreed that there's a lesson to be learned here: listen to your body and don't push yourself too hard too early.  I'm going to try to keep that in mind in the future.

As I said earlier, the Baltimore Half is one of my favorite races.  Here's why:

• The late start at 9:45 allows you to sleep in.
• People in Baltimore come out in droves to support runners.  The spectators are absolutely amazing.
• The loop around Lake Montebello.  Look at that photo again if you're not convinced it's beautiful.
• You get to run through Camden Yards - even if you're not an O's fan, it's a treat to run through this iconic ball park.
• The race shirts are Under Armor tech shirts - I wear mine to on a regular basis.
• The hills provide varied terrain, good views, and speed on the downhill stretches.  I've PRed three times on this course.

Ragnar Relay DC - Last Legs and the Finish

A shower, nap, and a change of clothes worked wonders.  I woke up on Saturday morning excited and ready to run.  Unfortunately, my left IT band didn't feel the same way.

Everyone seemed in better spirits than the night before as we headed to Chevy Chase to meet van 1.  We snapped a quick van photo before Amy took off to run her final leg.

Photo courtesy of EmGusk

Almost everyone's last legs were relatively short, so we didn't have much time between transitions.  We did manage to get some quality stretching in as we waited for our runners.  Below is a new IT band stretch Bill showed me.

Photo c/o EmGusk

Sally's last leg was by far the longest and involved a massive hill, so we found a good spot to pull over and cheer her on at the top of the hill.  We were all exhausted and a little loopy, so it's entirely possible some strange things happened with the safety flags...

Another quality photo courtesy of Miss EmGusk

After a short wait we saw Sally cresting the hill looking like a CHAMP with her fiancé at her side.  Guys, this is what love and support looks like.

Yep, this photo is EmGusk's as well

After a few more runners it was time for my last leg.  I thought it would be a fast, flat almost 4 miles, but was surprised to see rolling hills.  At least I had some nice views of the Potomac.  What you can't see is the intense heat and humidity - it was an abnormally warm day for late fall!

After I transitioned to Bill we headed to National Harbor to finish the race.  The parking situation was such a mess that he ended up beating us there!  Luckily, they had a staging area for us to meet up at so we could cross the finish line as a team.  We all made sure to wear our team shirts.

Finishing as a team, courtesy of EmGusk

Once we finished, it was time for some team photos and much-deserved pizza and beer.

With our medals! Photo courtesy of EmGusk

After we finished eating and drinking we went our separate ways - it looked like a storm was rolling in and we were all ready to go home, shower, and sleep.

I had a great time running Ragnar Relay DC with team Your Pace or Mine? and would definitely do it again!

Ragnar Relay DC - Nighttime Legs

Miss the first legs?  Click here.

After some "real" food, a shower, and a quick nap everyone felt much better and ready to take on their night legs.  It was an incredibly dark night, which made taking photos pretty much impossible.

The nighttime transitions were a lot of fun - the volunteers got really in to things blasting upbeat music and having plenty of fun glow accessories around.  It was a real treat to see my friend Mike working at one of the nighttime transitions.  We got to catch up while my team waited for our runner to come in.

Soon enough it was time for my night leg.  It started out on a quiet country road, which I really enjoyed because I could look up and see the stars.  I thought I would be in for a nice run until about a mile in when I turned on to a road that quickly headed in to thick woods, turned in to dirt, and headed up a mountain.

The next 7 or so miles were pretty terrifying.  There were multi-mile stretches where I did not see another runner or van and ran in pitch black silence (the trees blocked the moon and stars from view).  Then, suddenly, clusters of vans would drive up, kicking up dirt and forcing me off the narrow road in to a ditch.  It was creepy at best and incredibly unsafe at worst.

Luckily, the last mile of my leg was on another country road.  I was happy to see the stars again and to have a shoulder, and sometimes a sidewalk, to run on.  I finished up far faster than I said I would (I ran a few 8:17 miles!) and got to the transition before our next runner was ready.  That gave me an opportunity to cool down before jumping in the van.

After our van finished our night legs we had another opportunity to head back to the hotel, shower, and sleep for a few hours before starting our third legs.  At this point I'd covered almost 19 miles and my left IT band was really bothering me.  I was ready for a nice, hot shower and a soft, fluffy bed.

Ragnar Relay DC - First Legs

Last weekend I ran Ragnar Relay DC.  It was exhausting, a little scary at times, and a lot of fun.

For those of you unfamiliar with Ragnar Relay, it's about a 200 mile relay race from Cumberland, MD to DC which is run by teams of 12 individuals split in to two vans.  While one van's runners run their legs, the other van is "off" and free to sightsee, eat, or (more likely) sleep.  The team runs from Friday morning to Saturday afternoon, with runners completing legs during Friday night and early morning Saturday.

When I signed up for Ragnar I only knew four people on my team.  We had a few happy hours to allow everyone to get to know each other, most of which I couldn't make.  When we drove up to Cumberland on Thursday night I knew two people in my van and had met another girl once.  I was extremely lucky - everyone in my van was drama-free and super-awesome.  I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to run through the night and hang out in a smelly van with.

Van 2 after finishing our first set of legs

As we were Van 2, we got to sleep in on Friday morning while Van 1 started the race.  They were troopers as our first runner took off at 5:30AM!  We had a chance to check out Cumberland and go shopping at Roses.  The best way I can explain that store is that it was a predecessor to KMart and WalMart.  We walked out of there with some pretty awesome gear - neon knit hats and headbands with fascinators for all of the girls.

After our shopping trip we headed to transition 6 to go through a safety gear check and safety lecture and wait for van 1's last runner, Brian, to arrive.  Soon enough we saw Brian and it was time for our first runner, Amy, to take off!

Photo courtesy of the ever-fabulous EmGusk

It was a beautiful, sunny day and we were excited to cheer our, and other teams', runners on.  As our runners wound their way through the course we were able to pull over at random spots and cheer them on.  A few more of our runners took their turns, then it was my turn to start my first leg.  8 of the 9.5 miles of my leg were on trails, which were beautiful but quiet.

The last half mile of my leg went by Fort Frederick.

After I finished, we had one more runner go before handing things off to Van 1!

Bill transitioning to Van 1 - courtesy of EmGusk

Shortly after Bill finished, we saw something truly inspiring - a veteran who had lost his leg finishing up his first leg of the race, which was well over 7 miles.  Everyone at the transition cheered him in to finish.  It was a truly touching moment and, unsurprisingly, all the girls on our tear were moved to tears.

After taking a few minutes to socialize with our teammates in Van 1, we headed to the hotel to shower, nap, and get something to eat before our night legs started.

Tips for First-Time Mudders

I did a few things right and a few things very wrong when I ran Tough Mudder.  Hopefully someone can learn from my experience.

Gear:

• Wear gloves.  While gloves would not have fully prevented the injury on my left hand, they would have kept my right hand from getting so scratched up.
• Wear pants.  My knees are scratched and bruised, but would have been twenty times worse if I had worn shorts.
• Wear clothing that will dry quickly.  You're sweating and constantly hopping in and out of water and mud pits - a cotton t-shirt isn't going to cut it.
• Wear shoes and clothing you won't be sad about ruining.  My shirt, shoes, and socks went straight in to a trash can.
• Duct tape your shoes.  A loop or two around your foot will ensure that your shoes stay on even in the thickest, gloppiest mud.
• Duct tape your shirt where you pin your bib on.  I ended up with sizable (tack-head to dime sized) holes in my shirt where my bib was safety pinned.  Had I put duct tape on my shirt, it would have prevented the safety pins from pulling as my bib got weighed down with mud.

Before, During, and After:

• Get there early.  Get there early.  Get there early.  Traffic was horrible and it took multiple hours to park.  We planned on getting to the course three hours early, so we were able to start on time despite the delays.
• Run with a team.  You can't tackle all of the obstacles alone.
• Don't count on being able to shower there.  The showers weren't working after we finished, so we were glad we had plenty of shower wipes, clean (and dry) clothes, beach towels to sit on, and garbage bags for our dirty clothes.

Most Importantly:

• Have fun!  It won't be easy, but it'll be a good time.

Mid-Atlantic Tough Mudder - Recap

Note: I'll post a list of suggestions for people competing in future Tough Mudders separately.  All of the photos in this post, except for the "after" photos, were taken before the storm - I did not take any photos while completing Tough Mudder.

As I said before, Tough Mudder was amazing.

Saturday morning was beautiful - sunny, in the 80s, with low humidity.  It stayed this way though our drive (all three hours of it!), our walk to the course, and hanging around the start/finish lines waiting for our teammates.  As our teammates arrived (two hours later), the temperature suddenly dropped 10 degrees.  I looked up to see a black cloud heading our way, FAST.  That was when the wind started.

(Marked up with my number and ready to go)

Luckily, the gusts of wind died down after about 10 minutes and we were able to check our gear and get over to the start line.  We started some group warm-ups and were about 5 minutes from starting the race when the driving rain started.  We were in for quite the storm.

I comment on the weather not to complain, but to give a background as to why my race experience was a little different from what I expected.

The course map published online is below - a larger version can be found here:

We took off and, after climbing over a quick set of walls, were stopped and told to take a squat while one of the course officials talked us through safety procedures (i.e. how to signal for a medic) and get us pumped up for the race.  He then told us that, because of the storm, our first obstacle, the Arctic Enema, was closed.  I completely understand how you wouldn't want to have people swimming through a large body of water while there's a threat of lightning and respect their decision, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed.  Instead, we raced through the Braveheart Charge and went onward to the second obstacle, the Dirty Ballerina.

Before I get started describing the different obstacles, I need to explain that the "easy" part of the race, the run between obstacles, was on what was supposed to be dirt paths.  The heavy rain as we started and throughout the race turned these dirt paths in to mud pits.  It was thick, slippery, and people were sliding around, falling, and losing shoes all over the place.  The mud added an extra degree of difficulty to the race that, while fun, was far different from what I expected.  I didn't expect an 11-mile mud pit.

The Dirty Ballerina was an obstacle I was looking forward to - I have pretty long legs and am good at jumping across large puddles, etc, so I figured jumping across a 4-foot ditch would be no problem.  And it wasn't... at first.  The last ditch was noticeably wider than the rest - I knew I couldn't leap across it and I didn't think I was strong enough to jump in to the ditch and try to pull myself out, so I decided to throw myself at the ground on the opposite side of the ditch and hopefully land with at least my elbows on there so I could use my shoulder and back strength to pull myself up.  This was a horrible idea.  I ended up landing my left palm on a rather sharp rock, resulting in a deep gash and my subsequent mummy hand.  The course medics told me that any bandages they put on my hand would come right off, so I decided to keep on going and deal with the injury after the race.  All potential medical issues aside, this meant that I couldn't use my left hand for things without searing pain.

The next obstacle was the Kiss of Mud, which was relatively easy for me.  I crawled right on under that barbed wire quickly enough to beat some of my (male) teammates.  The guys were impressed and I started feeling good about my ability to tackle the obstacles despite my injury.

It's a good thing I did well on Kiss of Mud because the Berlin Walls were not my finest moment.  While some of the guys on my team were able to run, jump, and pull themselves up the wood walls without assistance, I needed a boost.  Luckily, so did a lot of other people.

The next obstacle, Bale Bonds, was a lot easier for me.  I scaled the mini-mountain of hay quickly, slid down the opposite end, and didn't look back.  I never thought I would have a preference between wooden walls and mountains of hay, but I strongly prefer the hay.

After Bale Bonds came Hold Your Wood, which was relatively easy as I chose a "girl sized" piece of wood.  Everyone on our team got through there quickly and continued the run to another Kiss of Mud.

I was feeling pretty great about my abilities to crawl on my elbows under obstacles, which was great because Trench Warfare was next.  I'm not particularly claustrophobic or scared of the dark, but it was pitch black and eerily quiet in those tunnels.  I was more than happy to get out of there.

The next obstacle was hands-down my favorite.  Walk the Plank involves climbing up a wood wall (this one had a couple of hand/foot holds) to a platform about 20 feet above the water.  As I looked over the edge, my stomach did a couple of flip-flops.  I knew I needed to jump soon or I'd start getting too nervous to go.  As I had that realization, a guy standing next to me mentioned he was scared of heights.  I grabbed his hand and told him we'd jump together - and we did.

The TM website doesn't have a description of our next obstacle, Log Jammin'; it consisted of getting over logs that were 7-10 feet off the ground.  I needed a boost on all of them, but the guys on our team were able to get over the first few on their own.  Good thing they're tall.

After Log Jammin' came King of the Mountain, which was basically Bale Bonds on steroids.  I had a lot of fun with it and stopped for a minute at the top to enjoy the view.

It's a good thing I was enjoying myself because the next obstacle, Electic Eel, wasn't super.  Crawling through water under live wires isn't really my cup of tea.  I got through there as quickly as possible and tried to forget about it.  I knew I would be facing live wires later in the course and didn't want to psych myself out.

After a particularly muddy stretch, we came to Underwater Tunnels.  Slogging through the pond and popping under barrels was a nice break from running through the mud, which was starting to get exhausting.  This was also around the time the pain in my left hand started to border on unbearable.  I was beginning to think my decision to bypass medical attention and continue on with the race was a poor one, and was ready to finish.  The steep uphill climb through the mud before the next set of Berlin Walls didn't help my exhaustion and, coupled with everything going on with my hand, caused me to skip this obstacle.  While I'm not proud of this decision, I know it was the right one - at this point it was clear that something was wrong with my hand and, every time I used it to pull myself up on something, I felt muscular pain as well as a sharp pain from my cut.

The next obstacle, the Mud Mile, was hilarious to my teammates at first - after all, hadn't we just run 8.5 of those?  We quickly discovered it wasn't a joke - we had to climb over large mounds of mud, slide in to the trenches between, and repeat the process.  I lost count at around the 7th hill.  As there were no places to get a good hand or foot hold, teamwork was necessary.  I'm really thankful to everyone that helped me through this obstacle as people were pulling strangers up left and right.

After the Mud Mile we were all coated in mud and I hoped for another water-related obstacle so we could wash off.  I sort of got my wish with the Boa Constrictor.  We were lucky - the first pipe was on a downhill slope so we could slide through it.  The second one was a little more difficult as we had to climb uphill through a slick pipe.  This was the only obstacle where taller people were at a disadvantage.  I was able to use my knees to get up the pipe while the rest of my teammates (all members of the 6' and up club) were forced to use only their arms and elbows.

There was a fair distance between the Boa Constrictor and the next obstacle, but once we hit it I knew we were in the home stretch.  I'd seen the Funky Monkey as we walked to the start line.

As I mentioned above, my upper body strength isn't the best.  I was coated in mud and tired, so I ended up dropping down in to the pool of water after about 3 monkey bars.  Oh well.

I was looking forward to Twinkle Toes because I knew I would be good at it.  I attribute my ability to focus and balance on a beam to years of yoga and gymnastics.  Unlike the obstacle before, I managed to stay out of the pool of water.

I saw Everest on my walk to the start line and had been looking forward to completing that obstacle; however, I'd seen that almost everyone needed to jump and be caught with both hands in order to make it to the top of the quarter-pipe.  That clearly wasn't going to happen with my injured left hand.  The huge crowd waiting to complete this obstacle sealed the deal.  I will definitely be coming back for Everest in the future.

As we passed Everest I realized that only a quarter mile and one more obstacle were standing between us and the finish line.  Unfortunately, that obstacle was Electroshock Therapy.

For those of you who think it couldn't possibly be that bad, take a closer look at the photo above.  Those are live wires dangling over a pit of muddy water.  IT HURT.  We managed to slog through there and cross the finish line about 3 hours after we started.  I don't think I've ever been prouder to complete a race.  I now understand what the "big deal" about earning an orange sweatband is and can't wait to earn another one.

(After, with my new favorite sweatband)

But maybe I'll wait until my hand heals.